Police Accuse 4 of Counterfeiting Credit Cards

Police recently nabbed four men who were reportedly found with at least 11 counterfeit credit cards, some of which they were accused of using to buy hundreds of dollars in cigarettes at a local gas station.

Officers were originally called shortly after 9 p.m. June 26 to the and 183rd Street in for a report of credit card fraud. A clerk at the station said she swiped a card given to her by Laron Gibson, 33, of the 1100 block of West 18th Street in Broadview. He was trying to buy five cartons of Newport cigarettes, totaling $328.81, according to the report. 

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The Speedway employee asked Gibson for identification, police said, and the ID he handed over matched the name on the Mastercard. However, when she swiped the card, she noticed that the last four digits didn't match those on the physical debit card.

"(The employee) told Gibson to wait a minute and made a photo copy of Gibson's debit card and (ID)," the report said. "She then notified the via telephone."

The clerk denied the transaction and Gibson allegedly left the station in a red Pontiac. She was able to get a description of the van and its license plate number. Police pulled over the vehicle's driver, Tamar N. Moore, 32, of the 5400 block of West Haddon in Chicago, in the 18400 block of Harlem Avenue, they said.

Carlos R. James, 35, of the 1700 block of North Mayfield in Chicago; and Phillip A. Thompson, 29, of the 600 block of Rice in Bellwood, were also in the car.

They were found with dozens of cards—some determined counterfeit, some "undetermined" and others, gift cards, police said. All credit cards had James or Gibson's names on them, the report said. Eleven of the cards' numbers didn't match up with those connected to their magnetic strips, according to police.

Although police weren't able to identify all account holders, they connected some of the card numbers to residents in West Virginia and Indiana, they said.

Surveillance footage from Speedway shows Gibson's failed transaction, along with two successful purchases made by James, the report said. He is shown buying the 10 cartons, five in each trip to the register. He reportedly used a fraudulent card with his name on it to buy them, police said, and the purchases totaled $697.62, according to the report. 

Police said the ten cartons, which the men refused to take ownership of, were found inside the vehicle. Suspects also had several clothing items and cell phones that didn't belong to them, police said. All men now face felony charges.

James and Gibson were charged with one count each of counterfeiting credit cards, misusing a credit card and burglary. Moore and Thompson were each charged with one count of counterfeiting credit cards. Additional charges may be pending, police said. 

The four declined to make any statements after their arrest, according to the report.

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